Phil Rudd Back in Handcuffs After Fight, Possible Car Chase

Once again, Phil Rudd has found himself on the wrong side of the law. The AC/DC drummer was handcuffed by police after getting into a fight -- and possibly, a car chase -- on the streets of his hometown of Tauranga, New Zealand.

Rudd was also later reprimanded in court for breaching the terms of his bail, apparently during this same incident, by making contact with a witness to his upcoming court case.

According to Stuff, Rudd was arguing outside a coffee shop with a large man. Employees of the shop, who witnessed the incident, said that things escalated after the man told Rudd, "I don't work for you anymore." Eventually, it got violent, with the unnamed man pushing Rudd in the chest. "He fell backwards over our sign and landed in the cafe," an employee said. "There was food and stuff everywhere."

The New Zealand Herald quotes Tim Carson, a witness to Rudd's arrest, as saying, "He was out and bloody dancing around and carrying on and ... led back to the cop car and was driven away." Carson added that the police pulled over two cars and that "it seemed like one car had been chasing the other."

Video footage above, courtesy of the Herald, shows Rudd being led down the streets by the police in handcuffs. The report also says that Rudd later appeared in Tauranga District Court regarding a breach of his bail. At this time, Rudd's lawyer admitted that his client had breached the non-association condition of his bail by having contact with a police witness.

The Crown solicitor called Rudd's actions a serious breach, and one that could potentially interfere with a witness. He asked that this be noted on the musician's court record. The judge then amended Rudd's bail conditions to include that he not take illegal drugs.

Rudd had no comment upon leaving the courtroom, but his lawyer explained that the incident "was a meeting with somebody he (Rudd) wasn't meant to associate with in a shop. It was a chance meeting and then there was contact from that."

Yesterday (Dec. 2), Rudd pleaded not guilty to charges of threatening to kill and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis. His next court date is a case review scheduled for Feb. 10.

Coincidentally, AC/DC's new album, 'Rock or Bust,' was released this week. Angus Young has said that the band will "go forward go forward. So at this point it’s kind of a question mark. But if we’re touring, there will be a drummer in place, put it that way.”